Sigma 16-28mm F2.8 DG DN | Contemporary

Reviewers find the centre sharp from f/2.8 across the range, with the corners at 16mm the weak spot wide open; stopping down to f/5.6–f/8 brings them up to a good standard for landscape work. Colour fringing is well controlled, but uncorrected raw files show strong barrel distortion and heavy vignetting at 16mm, so the lens depends on profile correction.

Testers like the size, the filter thread and the constant length, and see it as a lighter, cheaper alternative to 16-35mm F2.8 lenses with only a modest loss of range. The trade-offs are the short 28mm long end, a plastic-feeling build next to Sigma's Art zooms, and a mount gasket rather than full weather sealing.

Owners use it as a travel and vlogging wide zoom and like that it fits small bags alongside the 28-70 Contemporary. The 72mm filter thread, quiet AF and internal zoom on gimbals come up often as reasons for choosing it over the Sony 16-35mm F4 or bulbous-front ultra-wides.

Complaints focus on soft extreme corners at 16mm wide open, visible distortion when corrections are off, and the lack of any switches beyond AF/MF. Some owners also wish it had fuller weather sealing for hiking in bad weather.